How to Fall in Five Days
by VoxOfArtemis
Summary: When a beautiful Atlantean decides to spend her time at Mount Justice, what new feelings will Zatanna be forced to deal with? Can she fall in love with this girl without the fear of losing her? Rated M.
1. Day 1

**AN: Yay, first story on this account! And yes, I know this is a really weird pairing, but idk the story just came to me. I think they would be very cute together, and the outline I have basically wrote itself. I hope you enjoy my story, please review! If you don't I don't know whether or not to continue! Plus, I love them :D **

Zatanna clutched her stomach tightly as she tried to understand her cluster of emotions. She bent over in her chair, trying to suppress the feelings. Maybe she was sick, or perhaps it was something she ate. Realizing that none of her efforts at denial were working, Zatanna slumped down even further into the couch as she glared around the empty living room. Most of the team was elsewhere. M'Gann and Conner were in a bedroom doing something Zatanna did not want to think about. Dick and Wally had gone home, probably tired from their exams at school earlier that week. Aqualad had left to train with Aquaman an hour earlier, so Zatanna was left alone in the massive cave. Well, almost alone. Zatanna turned to face the sound of bare feet walking on the cool floor towards her. The tingling sensations in her stomach only became worse. Suddenly, Zatanna was forced to remember when the butterflies in her stomach had started an all out war in the first place.

**Five Days Earlier**

Zatanna walked down the long corridor towards the heavy amount of noise coming from the zeta tube. Upon arriving, she noticed all her teammates crowded around, introducing themselves to an unseen person. Pushing past Robin and M'Gann, her eyes fell on a smiling redhead. Looking her over and getting closer, Zatanna noticed she had gills and smelled like saltwater. She was wearing an amber top and a short beryl skirt, exposing a very toned stomach and slender legs. Zatanna thought that maybe she was joining the team, so she smiled and raised a hand.

"Hi, I'm Zatanna. Are you joining the team?" The girl raised her own hand to shake Zatanna's. Zatanna noticed that her skin was very rough, as if they had been through a lot. They felt like the ocean rocks that Zatanna had skimmed over the water as a child. She used to go to the beach with...her dad. Trying her best to shake the nostalgia this girl brought to her, she stared at their hands. Realizing that she had been shaking hands way too long, she pulled away, listening for a response from the girl.

"Her name is Tula, she is my...friend from Atlantis," Kaldur answered for Tula.

"And no," Tula interrupted, " I won't be joining the team. I just needed a break from my studying at the conservatory. I've always wanted to know what it was like up here, so I decided now was a good time to come." Zatanna noticed how Tula's cerulean eyes never left her face, as if she was only addressing her instead of the whole team. A little uncomfortable under the intense gaze, Zatanna brought up her hand to inspect her fingernails.

"Well, it's wonderful to have you here Tula! You're room is all ready, so you can go check it out whenever you'd like," M'Gann said cheerfully as the team began to disperse. The evening was approaching, so most of them were getting ready to go home or patrol with their mentors. M'Gann and Conner retired to their rooms, and soon Zatanna was left standing with the petite Atlantean. Feeling a small wave of awkwardness wash over the room, Zatanna faked a long yawn.

"Well, it was nice to meet you. I think I'm going to go take a shower," Zatanna said as she gave a gentle wave good-bye. Beginning to walk back down the gray corridor, Zatanna could hear the soft pad of bare feet behind her. After several more turns around the corners of the hallways, she was beginning to feel very annoyed. The redhead was acting very clingy already, and they were hardly friends yet. Stopping spontaneously, Tula bumped into Zatanna's back. The sudden contact sent shivers up Zatanna's spine for some reason, momentarily flustering her. She quickly shook it off as she turned to face the other girl.

"I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but...what do you want? If you need help finding your room, it was the first one on the left. You know, on the other side of the mountain," Zatanna said with a bit of irritation. Tula just blushed in response as she fumbled for words. They were very close together, and Zatanna could feel the heavy breathing of the other girl. She backed up a few steps, suddenly becoming very warm all over.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be bothersome," Tula said as she tucked a loose strand of hair back. "I just wanted to ask you some questions."

"Questions? Like what?"

"Um...well, what's you're favorite color?" A silence came over the hall as Zatanna tried to comprehend what the hell the girl across from her was on.

"Uh...my what? Why would you want to know something like that?" Zatanna asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm just trying to get to know you, I like being friendly. If that question is too hard for you though, what about favorite movie? T.V. Show?" Tula asked as a hint of a smirk started to form on her face.

"Very funny. Purple, Troy, and Merlin," Zatanna responded crossing her arms. She was trying her best to hide a smile and the looks of amusement that wanted to consume her features.

"Hmm, okay. What else can I ask you? Hmm...do you have a boyfriend?" Tula asked again, slightly biting her lower lip. Zatanna's hands dropped to her sides instantly, a bright blush very evident on her tan face. She began to fidget uneasily, looking towards the ceiling and the walls.

"No! W-what kind of a question is that?"

"Just a question I felt like asking," Tula replied with a playful yet sweet smile. She then gave a long yawn, as if making fun of the one Zatanna had made earlier. Zatanna glared slightly at the older girl, regaining her composure.

"Well, I think I'll go check out my room now. I'm so happy I'm going to be staying here, even though it is only for five days. See you tomorrow," Tula winked before disappearing around the corner. Zatanna just stood looking at the spot in front of her where Tula had been standing. Repeating the weird experience in her head made her feel all tingly, so Zatanna shook her head furiously before walking towards the showers. She decided a cold one was in order, unable to stop recalling how pretty the Atlantean had been.


	2. Day 2

**AN: Not sure how many of you actually like this story, I didn't get that many reviews :( I really like these two together though, so I'll finish the story for those of you reading :D Please review, thanks guys!**

After a full night of tossing and turning, Zatanna finally fell asleep at around four in the morning. She was used to going to sleep early and waking up as well, but there was so much on her mind. It was like studying for final exams without any reference material. She never studied for this test, or even encountered the subject before. She stared at her alarm clock, silently battling her own thoughts. She would blush frequently, responding by screaming into her favorite violet pillow. She repeated this process for a good 2 hours before forcing herself out of her bed as if she were being controlled by strings. Maybe she needed to get out more, she couldn't remember the last time she had gone to the mall or out on the town since her Dad became Doctor Fate. Zatanna's stomach churned again, as if telling her this was not the reason for all her headaches. She leaned against the mirror, trying to shake out the nerves and fix the strands of charcoal hair that have fallen out of place. She took in a large breath and exhaled slowly before walking out of her room. She could hear a few voices at the end of the corridor, wondering what she had missed. When she arrived in the living room, Aqualad, Robin, and M'Gann were crowded around Tula on the couch. Zatanna leaned against the kitchen's island, not wanting to join the conversation just yet.

"If you want, we can take you to the beach. Oh, or we could go check out the high school!" M'Gann suggested cheerfully to the Atlantean. Tula frowned slightly, as if thinking about how she should respond.

"No offense, but I've lived in the ocean all my life. The ocean just doesn't sound appealing, but I guess we could go to the high school," Tula smiled nervously. Zatanna's lips formed into a small smile at this, the Atlantean was so cute. Zatanna's eyes widened slightly before she shook her head and turned back to listening to the conversation.

"No way! You don't want to go visit some dusty old school," Wally said as her leaned in closer to Tula suggestively. "How about a stroll through the park and a movie?"

"What a great idea Wally!" Zatanna jumped in without thinking, trying to hide the annoyance in her voice. "I'll take her, I'm from Manhattan after all. What better place to hit the town than New York?" The ghost of a smirk formed on her features as Wally crossed his arms, obviously cock blocked.

"Absolutely! That sounds wonderful," Tula said as her eyes never left Zatanna. Zatanna crossed her arms trying to look casual, but was berating herself on the inside. Sure, she loved her city but she had to admit, New York could be dirty and cruel to non locals. But of course, she couldn't take the offer back now, not with those cerulean eyes looking at her like that.

After Tula grabbed a heavy sweatshirt to cover her markings, she met up with Zatanna in front of the transporter. Zatanna grabbed Tula's hand on a reflex when they were beamed to Manhattan, but instantly pulled away when they arrived at the back of a McDonald's. Zatanna blushed softly as she led Tula to Times Square. When Zatanna turned to the Atlantean, she was frozen where she stood. The various lights and crowds of people left Tula completely starstruck. Zatanna watched as the ocean native glanced at all the ads, restaurants, and stores.

"It's so...pretty," she finally managed to squeak out. She looked over to Zatanna, as if not believing she was really there. Zatanna smiled, shrugging lightly.

"Come on, the movie starts at six," Zatanna said as she gently nudged Tula ahead. As they were passing a Forever 21, Zatanna's eyes never left Tula as the Atlantean glanced around happily. She didn't even notice all the trash flying around or the occasional curse from the crowds. Eventually Zatanna's mind wandered to her encounter with Tula from the previous day. She wasn't used to being put on the spot with silly questions, and she was curious as to why the other girl felt the need to ask her in the first place.

Feeling eyes on her, Tula turned away from her sight seeing to look at the attractive magician. She couldn't help but smile at the mere sight of her, so she quickly looked down to hide her blush.

"What is it?" she asked quietly.

"Why did you ask me all those weird questions yesterday? I mean I know you said you wanted to get to know me, but...why?" Zatanna raised an eyebrow.

"You just seemed really interesting is all," Tula whispered as she kept her eyes on anything but the spell caster. She was embarrassed beyond comparison, she couldn't admit anything to the girl next to her, she would probably sound stupid if she did.

"Well, I think it was unfair," The black haired girl replied, sticking out her lower lip in a mock pout.

"What do you mean?" Tula asked, curious all of a sudden as she looked up at Zatanna.

"Well, you got to ask me all those questions, and I didn't get to ask you _one_," Zatanna sniffed. Tula smirked at the playfulness, silently relieved that she had done nothing wrong.

"Then fire away."

Zatanna smirked, deciding to ask the same questions the girl had asked her as she finally turned back to the redhead, "Favorite color, and relationship status," she requested.

"Emerald, and single," Tula replied smiling.

"Well, now we're even then," Zatanna said as she chuckled lightly. Tula soon started to giggle along with her. Zatanna looked away from the other girl, noticing they were across the street from the movie theater. They were next to a small fountain, and Zatanna decided to kill five minutes by leading Tula to it and handing her a penny.

"You throw it in and make a wish, it's just something people do," Zatanna shrugged. Tula nodded, trying to think of her wish. She smiled before proceeding to toss the coin into the shallow water.

"What did you wish for?" Zatanna asked leaning in towards the other girl.

"I can't tell you, then it would have less of a chance of coming true," Tula smiled softly with half-lidded eyes. Zatanna, feeling heat rush through her body, backed away a little. She smiled nervously before leading them through the traffic to the theater. Paying for two tickets to _Titanic_, Zatanna led the Atlantean to seats in the back of the theater. Since it was a week day, the theater wasn't completely crowded like usual. All the seat were filled except for all the ones in the very front and back rows. As the previews played over the course of twenty minutes, Zatanna kept switching positions in her seat. She didn't understand why her body was reacting this way, she wasn't even a fan of the original Titanic. She continued to fidget and ring her hands together as the movie opened. On occasion, her thigh would brush against Tula's, making things even worse for the teen. She wasn't even paying attention to the movie at this point, she just kept thanking the lord that she wasn't a guy. If she had been...there would've been a serious problem. She almost banged her head against the back wall as their legs brushed again, not noticing the strong blush that Tula had acquired on her face since the movie started. As the plot of the movie progressed, the brushing of arms and legs became common and natural between the two girls, both turning content and lost in their own thoughts. It wasn't until the music of the ending credits started playing that Zatanna came out of her reverie. She blushed lightly, realizing that over the course of the movie, the two had become comfortably tangled in one another.


	3. Day 3

Zatanna yawned loudly as she made her way to the fridge for some coke. The team was discussing the plan for that night, but she was only half listening. As far as she could tell, it was mostly Artemis and Wally bickering on whether or not to go ice skating. Zatanna lived in Manhattan, she had had enough of the cold. She shuddered as she remembered the particularly bad winter.

"Fine boss pants, what about a movie?" Wally suggested as the blonde across from him glared harder. Just the mention of a flick caused Zatanna to lock eyes with Tula, before they both turned away with slight blushes. As Zatanna drowned out Artemis's retort, her mind wandered to the red head on the other side of the kitchen's island. Not that she would ever admit it, but she had really enjoyed the previous night. Being so close to Tula had felt so natural, unlike anything she had felt for any other girl she had dated. Zatanna spilled some soda onto the counter as she shook her head. She was not looking for a relationship, especially with someone from Atlantis. She could already see the terrible break up that would follow. She frowned as she wiped up her mess on the counter, deciding to focus back on the team.

"God, I just can't win with you!" Wally yelled as he threw his arms up in the air. Artemis just frowned.

"Yes, I'm awful because I don't want to do whatever Wally West wants to do," she deadpanned.

"Exactly!"

Looking over to the nearby stool, Zatanna could see Robin thinking the situation over. Then his face lit up, and Zatanna smiled. Leave it to Boy Wonder to come to their rescue.

"That new night club in Star City just opened last month! I saw posters for it when Batman and I went to see Green Arrow a few weeks back. We could try that," he smiled in triumph. Wally and Artemis exchanged glances, as if having a silent conversation with one another. Zatanna softly chuckled at them, they were so much like an elderly couple in her mind.

"Sounds like fun," the two said in agreement. Zatanna sighed as the team dispersed to get ready for their club night, so Zatanna poured herself one more glass before heading off to her room to do the same. As she walked, she could her the all too familiar sound of bare feet trailing a few feet behind her. She turned and slowed down, waiting for Tula to catch up with her.

"Why so quiet? Usually you'd be the one to start a conversation," Zatanna asked as she took another gulp of soda.

"I'm sorry," the other girl mumbled as she stared at the ground. It was obvious she was troubled and wasn't paying attention, so Zatanna put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. They had reached Zatanna's room.

"Umm..." Tula looked up to the door before blushing and averting her eyes. Zatanna thought it was adorable to say the least. The magician smirked slightly, watching the red head carefully examine the corridor wall.

"Come on in, you can help me pick out my outfit," Zatanna said as she lead the girl in. Tula looked around at the fishnet stockings littering the floor, and the various sets of broken ipod headphones. The room walls were pretty bare except for some landscape paintings and a few rock band posters. A large black comforter was in a clump on the twin bed, the various pillows laying on the floor. Zatanna seemed to realize how messy it all was, and she began to frantically clean.

"Sorry, no one really comes in here so," she apologized as she threw the stockings under her bed. Tula laughed while shaking her head. The magician then proceeded to take of her jacket and throw it on the bed, revealing a shirt that covered only a small portion of her back. Tula couldn't help but ogle the girl in front of her, she had been doing it ever since she arrived. She was just so beautiful to her. Zatanna made her way to the closet, not noticing Tula's gaze. She went through the hangers until she found a cherry colored halter top and black skinny jeans with a chain belt. She set it down on her bed, admiring her style choice.

"I'm sure I have something that with fit you," she said looking Tula over. As she made her way to the closet, she casually threw off her violet shirt. It was at this point in time that Tula looked away in a desperate attempt to not moan at the sight of the girl in front of her. She would definitely not totally eye rape the girl in the lacy green bra. That was what she kept repeating in her head anyways. Zatanna threw the halter top on the bed over her head before lightly throwing an emerald mini dress to Tula. Tula caught it, blushing at the fact that Zatanna had remembered her favorite color. Then, the Atlantean remembered why she was in this situation in the first place, and her face fell.

"Hey, not that look again. What's wrong?" Zatanna asked patting a spot on the bed next to her. Tula slowly walked over and plopped down on the mattress.

"I've never been to a night club before. Aren't there going to be a lot of people? I don't really like crowds," she said as she nervously tightened her grip on the dress.

"Don't worry, it's really not that bad. I mean yeah it's crowded, and there might be some sleazy guys, but it's nothing we can't handle. I mean, we'll have the team and our fighting skills to back us up if anything gets rough," Zatanna said encouragingly. The other girl didn't seem entirely convinced.

"I just...don't know," Tula said as she fiddled with the clothing in her hands. She looked up to Zatanna, only to see the magician's face had turned serious.

"Hey, I won't let anyone touch you _ever_. I'll stay by you the whole night, or until you send me away. I promise."

* * *

><p>The vibrant pink lights were blinding as they flashed around the room full of dancers. When Zatanna and Tula's eyes had finally adjusted, they could see that the team had dispersed to do their own thing. Zatanna rolled her eyes, she couldn't say she was surprised. She grabbed Tula's shaking hand and led them to a wall where it was less crowded. Tula looked around, surprised by all the people. Zatanna looked around and her eyes fell on the various couples on the sides. Some people had no shame. She continued scanning for the team, but realized it was no use. They would find her when it was time to go. Zatanna noticed the many hungry eyes of boys and girls on her and Tula, and she scowled before turning to the ocean dweller. Tula looked like she honestly had no problem staying by that wall the entire night, and Zatanna couldn't help but feel the same. They should've just stayed home, alone time with the red head sounded pretty good to the magician anyways. Zatanna smirked at the thought, not noticing the staggering seventeen year old approaching them. She heard Tula gasp beside her, and turned around immediately. Her eyes narrowed as the boy grabbed both of Tula's wrists. The Atlantean looked slightly frightened, but she wasn't afraid to shock him into the next lifetime if he provoked her enough. Zatanna knew people would ask questions though, so she grabbed the boy's wrist, taking matters into her own hands so Tula could calm down.<p>

"Let go of her right now," Zatanna growled as her grip tightened.

"Relax sweetheart, I just wanted to have some fun with your friend here," he said as he leaned in closer to the scowling Atlantean. Zatanna broke his hands away and stepped in between them.

"She's not interested, and she never will be. Get away from us and stay away from _her_," Zatanna threatened. The boy was not fazed.

"Jesus babe, I didn't know you had a watchdog. Come home with me, I'll show you a good time," he smirked nastily towards Tula. Before Tula could tell him to screw off however, a fist collided with his face. Tula looked to Zatanna surprised, but the sorceress just cracked her knuckles and grabbed her hand. As Tula was lead through the crowd, she noticed Zatanna's arms were securely wrapped around her shoulders. Tula smiled at the raven haired girl's mixture of nervousness and protectiveness. It made her feel cared about. They eventually found a narrow hallway that led to a bunch of private rooms. When Zatanna found one unoccupied at last, she lead Tula in and shut the door, decreasing the volume of the music. Zatanna attempted to catch her breath as she leaned against the door. She eventually walked over to lay down on the raggedy bed with Tula, the Atlantean's head resting on Zatanna's chest as it rose and fell. Zatanna rested her head on top of Tula's, and both of them were completely content as the music played in the background.

**AN: Sorry for the late update, I've been kinda restricting my computer time lately. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I was thinking of writing a one shot showing Wally and Artemis's night at the club, so tell me what you think of that. Please review! I enjoy the advice and knowing that people like my weird crack ships xD**


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